Blog – Page 17 – Holly Whittlef

February 14, 2016 — Comments are off for this post.

Getting Inspired / 04

Sunday mornings are my favorite time to spend a few hours getting inspired. Some mornings that means browsing books or the internet, while others it's a walk outside or trip to the art museum. This morning, I cozied up under a fuzzy blanket and made an online trip to Moglea.

Moglea has long been one of my favorite design inspirations. Meg—the girl boss + designer behind the company—has such a great eye for color, pattern and hand-lettering. What sets their work apart is that every piece is either hand painted, hand dyed or letterpress printed ( often, all three! ). It's some of the most original stationery in an admittedly oversaturated market.

Last August, I was lucky to visit Moglea's studio and meet Meg ( + the rest of the gang ) in person. Naturally, they're as lovely as their work, and put so much thought + effort into every printed piece they make. If you're a greeting card hoarder like myself, you're going to find it nearly impossible to resist buying one of everything.

A few of my favorites: this card, this card, this sketchbook, this daily jotter + all the gift wrap.

[ all photos courtesy of Moglea ]

Published by Holly Whittlef in Inspiration

February 6, 2016 — Comments are off for this post.

Home Again + Links I Love

It's been more jarring than usual arriving home after 2 1/2 weeks away in Tanzania and the island of Zanzibar. I'm not quite sure if it was the longer length of the trip, the nasty jetlag I feel now, the opposing climates ( 95 degrees -> 20 degrees ) or seeing first-hand and processing the stark contrasts between my life and those of another area of the world.

But we're back! And we had—what feels like such an understatement—an amazing trip.

Tanzania and Zanzibar were inspiring, humbling, spirited, hard, easy and provided all the feels. The landscapes are incredibly beautiful and diverse. The people are warm, friendly and funny. Seeing animals in their natural habitat was downright majestic. I have lots more thoughts and photos ( and a packing guide! ) I hope to put together into a few blog posts soon.

Until then, it's back to work and the welcoming normalcy of routine. Here's a few of my favorite links I've enjoyed reading jetlagged at 2:30am the past few days while slogging through my post-trip email inbox. Make it a lovely weekend, my friends.

More peeks of our trip on Instagram: @hollisanne_

The alphabet in space. This makes my typography-loving heart happy.

If you're a design nerd, you'll love this inside peek at the branding process of Eight Hour Day.

There's nothing better than home cooking after being away. I made this yesterday ( spicy + delicious ), and this is on the agenda for dinner with friends tonight.

The cutest bowls. ( via Kate )

This interview with a British woman + the Syrian refugee she's lodging.

In the spirit of the new year ( a month late ), 16 resolutions from humanity's greatest minds.

One of my goals this year is to read more books ( and less internet ). I loved how to read 100 books in a year, and crossed #1 off my list with this book in Africa.

A little anti-goal wisdom from the Barefoot Contessa.

If decluttering is on your 2016 agenda, I thought these rules were so helpful. I swear by #1 and #17, but working hard on #2 through #6.

Speaking of decluttering... 21 statistics about how much shit we own.

For all my fellow procrastinators. ( via Kate )

This is so, so good. ( via Rachel )

Finally, this DIY sounds like the perfect way to spend a Sunday. Embroidery party, anyone?

"Truth has its own definite boundaries, but that which arises from uncertainty is delivered to guesswork under the irresponsible license of a frightened mind." Seneca

Published by Holly Whittlef in Links I Love, Travel

January 3, 2016 — Comments are off for this post.

2016

It's been a challenging one, this 2015.

This past year, I jumped full-time into freelance and found working for myself stretched me in ways (and places—namely, my aching back) I could've never anticipated.

Because that's the thing.

Entrepreneurship is talked about and romanticized for its excitement + limitless possibilities, but I've found only a few who will share how hard it can be, especially for those flying solo. You enter into the world of self-employment knowing instability and uncertainty are going to be good friends alongside you on the journey, but when it comes to daily life, others seem reticent to share how they're doing or perhaps more useful, what they're doing to make entrepreneurship work for them. Finding clients, finding good work systems, organizing schedules, balancing deadlines, handling finances + taxes, and more—these are the unsexy realities.

Here's a sliver what it's honestly like. There are big wins and days I feel ridiculously kick ass for working on my own. There are days laden with anxiety attacks, skipped meals and the constant feeling of, "WHAT THE HELL AM I DOING?!" There's failure. Lots of it. Although I'm beginning to see failure as a positive thing, which I'm hoping to write more about later.

I'm learning it's all in the becoming. I'm getting there—just like you are—and as long as I keep shuffling one foot in front of the other, everything ends up okay. Maybe not perfect, but good enough. Because life is about so many other more important things. Family, travel, art, food, friends, and trying things for the sake of trying, and I enjoyed a lot of that this year too.

Here's a few of my favorites from 2015, plus a snippet of one of my favorite books that strongly sums up my 2016 goals. May the new year bring you peace + contentment, my friends.

Travel: Tulum, Mexico
TV: House of Cards + Master of None
Book: Essentialism
Movie: Brooklyn ( based off this book )
Blog / Website: Cup of Jo
Article: THIS x 1,000,000
Meal: Girl + the Goat ( for my birthday! )
Most Eaten Recipe: Sesame Soba Noodles GIF: THIS or THIS

Album: Hamilton
Concert: DOOMTREE
Art: My painting from Mara Barringer
Podcast: Serial + The Lively Show
Memory: Camping at Nelson Dewey Park
Purchase: A POLKA DOT JUMPSUIT ( !!! )
Goal: Closet Minimalism
Hobby: Letterpress ( obvs )
Nephew: This punkin'

"My dream is to walk around the world. A smallish backpack, all essentials neatly in place. A camera. A notebook. A traveling paint set. A hat. Good shoes. A nice pleated (green?) skirt for the occasional seaside hotel afternoon dance." Maira Kalman

Published by Holly Whittlef in hand-lettering, life

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